Method and apparatus for sterilizing infectious material

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for sterilization of infectious waste including animals, infected animal herds, infected human corpses and other infected material and proper disposal of resultant waste. The method and apparatus specifically relates to methods of safely sterilizing and disposing of infectious and non-infectious bio-waste in a cost effective manner.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/277,643 filed Oct. 20, 2011; said application claimspriority to and the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 61/405,979,filed Oct. 22, 2010 entitled THERMAL TISSUE AUTOCLAVE, the entirety ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates generally to sterilization of infectious materialand, more particularly, to sterilization of biological waste.

2. Background Art

Currently, universities, independent testing facilities and governmentalagencies around the world produce or have political responsibility oflarge quantities of infectious animal waste due to research, study andcontainment. Additionally, future requirements to address pandemics canpotentially add large numbers of animal carcasses and/or human cadavers,which would require sterilization to insure containment of diseases.

Currently, the three methods commonly used in disposing of infectiouswaste such as infected animals or cadavers are incineration, burial andto a lesser extent alkaline hydrolysis. The known methods of disposalare faced with increasing regulations, including restrictions on wastewater and land sites, environmental restrictions on air emissions,increased utility costs, as well as being faced with rising chemicalcosts in the case of using alkaline hydrolysis as a methodology. Thus, aless expensive and a more simplified approach to sterilizing anddisposing of infectious material is needed, which is safe, moreenvironmentally friendly and less expensive than existing sterilizationmethods and their subsequent disposal.

The various embodiments of the invention as described herein address theabove issues and others.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of sterilization ofinfectious waste including animals, infected animal herds, infectedhuman corpses and other infected material and to proper disposal ofresultant waste. The invention relates to methods of safely sterilizingand disposing of infectious and non-infectious bio-waste in a costeffective manner.

One embodiment of the method of sterilizing a variety of infectedmaterial including animal and human corpses and/or parts includes thesteps of providing a pressure holding vessel, loading the material intothe vessel, heating the holding area of the vessel thereby energizingthe material, for example, animal and/or human matter with external heatfrom either steam, electric, or other heat/energy source and agitatingthe material to effect size reduction of the material into ahomogeneous, liquefied mixture. In one embodiment of the method, themixture can be heated to a temperature in the range of approximately 250to 308 degrees F. at its equivalent saturated pressure and heldapproximately at that temperature for a period of approximately one tothree hours to effect sterilization of the liquefied mixture. In oneembodiment, the mixture can be cooled in the vessel and discharged.

One embodiment of the apparatus can include a vessel adapted forpressurization and having a heat source such a heating element heating athermal fluid, powered by electrical current or other power source thatis operable to heat under pressure material placed in the chamber areaof the vessel. One embodiment includes an agitator within the chamber ofthe vessel that is operable to agitate material contained therein andeffect size reduction of the material. The agitator can effect amechanical impact to the material in order to break and divide thematerial into smaller piece parts. The agitator can be configured toreduce the material to a sufficient small size to achieve a liquefiedsolution. The agitator can be a rotating blade type member thatrepetitively severs the material into smaller piece parts. However, theagitator need not be like a blade type member, as it can be a memberthat is not blade like, but is designed to mechanically impact thematerial repetitively with a rigid member, high pressure fluid or otheragitation source and break it into smaller pieces. In one embodiment theapparatus the vessel can be designed with a chamber that can bepressurized and a heat source such that the mixture can be heated to atemperature in the range of approximately 250 to 308 degrees F. at itsequivalent saturated pressure and held approximately at that temperaturefor a period of approximately one to three hours to effect sterilizationof the liquefied mixture. One embodiment of the apparatus can alsoinclude a vessel having an internal mounting fixture adapted forinserting biological samples into a biological test chamber. The fixturecan be designed such that it can be positioned in the liquid whilemaintaining agitator operation.

Various embodiments of the method and apparatus can provide a lessexpensive and a more simplified approach to sterilizing and disposing ofinfectious material that is clearly needed in the industry, that is safeand that is more environmentally friendly and less expensive thanexisting sterilization methods and their subsequent disposal. Also,various embodiments of the invention involve a method and apparatus forsterilizing animal carcasses, parts, infectious viruses and bacteria,human corpses, human parts, biological spores and other biologicalmatter and is intended to comply with all governmental laws andregulations, national and provincial/state, applicable to disposal ofsuch biological wastes.

These and other advantageous features of the present invention will bein part apparent and in part pointed out herein below. Further, U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/405,979, filed Oct. 22, 2010entitled THERMAL TISSUE AUTOCLAVE, the entirety of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may bemade to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a left perspective illustration of an embodiment of asterilization system;

FIG. 2 is another left perspective illustration of the sterilizationsystem;

FIG. 3 is another right perspective illustration of the sterilizationsystem

FIG. 4 is a front view of the sterilization system;

FIG. 5 is a right side illustration of the sterilization system;

FIG. 6 is a left side illustration of the sterilization system;

FIG. 7 is a rear illustration of the sterilization system;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the sterilization system;

FIG. 9 is an illustration of the vessel chamber; and

FIG. 10 is a graphical illustration of a typical operational profile.

DRAWING ITEM LISTING

100 Sterilization System

102 Lid

103 Lid Hinge

104 Pressure Indicator

105 Lid Opening Cylinder

106 Monitoring Port

108 Temperature Sensor

110 Heating/Cooling Jacket

112 Discharge Valve

114 Discharge Valve Actuator

116 Thermal Liquid Inlet Port

118 Temperature Sensor

120 Gear Reducer

122 Drive Motor

124 Mounting Bracket

126 Operating Vent Pipe

128 Lid Locking Cylinder

130 Vapor Outlet

132 Combination Water and Caustic Inlet Port

133 Safety Vent Outlet

134 Thermal Liquid Outlet Port

135 Operating Vent Outlet

137 Pressure Transmitter

202 Port For High-Level Control (304)

204 Port For Safety Vent Outlet (133) and Pressure Transmitter (137)

206 Pressure Vessel Entry

302 Decontamination Product Valve

304 High-Level Control at Port (202)

305 Bio Test Port

306 Pressure Transmitter

308 Valve Actuator

402 Valve Actuator

404 Valve Actuator

802 Drive Transfer Seal Assembly

804 Arm Mount

806 Arm Mount

808 Mounting Ring

810 Agitator Arm

812 Agitator Blade

814 Pressure Vessel Lower Chamber

816 Drive Shaft

904 Discharge Port

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription presented herein are not intended to limit the invention tothe particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intentionis to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives fallingwithin the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by theappended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

According to the embodiment(s) of the present invention, various viewsare illustrated in FIGS. 1-10 and like reference numerals are being usedconsistently throughout to refer to like and corresponding parts of theinvention for all of the various views and figures of the drawing. Also,please note that the first digit(s) of the reference number for a givenitem or part of the invention should correspond to the Fig. number inwhich the item or part is first identified.

One embodiment of the present invention comprising pressurized heattreatment and agitation system teaches a novel apparatus and method forsterilizing infectious material where one embodiment of the method caninclude placing biologically infected animal carcasses, tissue, bonesand innards or other infectious material into a pressure vessel. Oneembodiment of the method can further include adding a quantity of waterthat can be from approximately 0% to approximately 20% of the tissueweight into the pressure vessel. Further, the method can include heatingexternally the chamber containing the material to bring the temperatureof the vessel interior to the range from approximately 250 toapproximately 308 degrees F. at a pressure ranging from approximately 0to approximately 60 psig. This can be continued to effect degrading thewaste material at these elevated temperatures and pressures. Oneembodiment of the process can include maintaining the environment ofelevated temperature for a time period from approximately 0 toapproximately 4 hours to raise the actual temperature of the tissue andother material, thereby effectively softening any biological tissue.

Agitating the material with an agitator can perform sizing the materialthereby producing non-caustic discharge producing bone chards less than1.5 inches and tissue fibers of diameters less than 0.015 inches. Theprocess can be performed such that the solids are dispersed in thehomogeneous mixture. If any caustic material is injected, it can beinjected such that the discharged material has indistinguishablecharacteristics.

One embodiment of the method can include placing the animal carcasses,tissue, bones and innards into the pressure vessel and adding a quantityof water; between 0% and 20% of the tissue weight in the vessel. Thevessel can be heated externally to bring the temperature of the vesselinterior to the range of 250 to 308 degrees F. These elevatedtemperature and pressure conditions are conducive to completelydegrading the waste material. The pressure range over the profile mayrange from 0 to 60 psig.

The tissue, bones and other waste matter, which may contain infectiousviruses, bacteria, spores or prions can be allowed to remain in thisenvironment of elevated temperature for a time period of 0 to 4 hours toraise the actual temperature of the tissue and other material. Thisperiod effectively softens the tissue and bone.

The agitator is designed to effect sizing reduction of any infectiousmaterial or waste including tissue, tendons, muscle and bones. Theeffectively reduced non-caustic discharge produces bone chards less thanapproximately 1.5 inches in diameter and tissue fibers of less thanapproximately 0.015 inches in diameter. If an option is exercised tointroduce caustic injected material, the discharge mixture can haveindistinguishable characteristics and dispersed solids. The effectivelyreduced material can be homogeneous and wax-like.

The agitator and chamber design can be such that a method and apparatuscan be included to attach and detach biological sample containers thatcan be used for validating that the material has been adequatelysterilized. One embodiment of such a method and apparatus is to providean agitator without a centerline shaft and having an elongated bar likemember with a circular shape or semi-circular shape or a member having ahemispherical configuration and having shafts on opposing sides foreffecting rotation of the member. This embodiment avoids a problem thatcould be experienced if a rotor blade or implement having a center-linedrive shaft is utilized. If such a center-line rotor is used, it couldobstruct or hinder the insertion of the infectious material. With acenter-line system, an operator when inserting material would have tonavigate around the center-line drive shaft and rotors. The embodimentas described herein eliminates the center-line drive shaft andcenter-line rotor. The semi-circular or circular rotor can be positionin the horizontal plane when inserting material such that the vessel hasa central clear pathway from the loading hatch to the bottom of thevessel.

The agitator can be powered to provide sufficient impact force tothoroughly size reduce and mix the combination of water, solids, andfats. The agitator can also be designed to extend its reach to theinterior perimeter of the inside walls of the chamber in order to cleanthe heat transfer surfaces of the chamber to insure satisfactory heattransfer coefficients. The agitator can be configured to provide aslight scraping or near scraping action to keep material fromaccumulating along the perimeter. One embodiment of the apparatus canalso have an agitator configured and oriented to push or urge the finalfibrous material to a centerline discharge port. Also, the agitatordrive can include a variable frequency controller, which can allow theagitator to be started at a low rpm, for example one revolution perminute, and advance to approximately 20 revolutions per minute. Startingat a lower speed when the material parts are larger in one embodimentcan allow for a greater torque at lower speeds and/or can reduce shockto the drivetrain.

One embodiment of the method and apparatus can provide a chamber with aninternally mounted fixture, capable of inserting biological samples. Thefixture can be designed such that it can be positioned in the liquidwhile maintaining agitator operation.

For one embodiment of the method, upon completion of the heat-up phase,the agitator can be started and run continuously for approximately 2 to4 hours during which time the material goes through size reduction andphysical milling to create a water-like mixture of suspended solids andwater. As an option, during this phase small quantities of caustic, NaOHor KOH, may be injected into the mixture to effect saponification of thefatty acid derivatives and further molecular reduction of the proteins.This option is designed to maintain a pH of between about approximately7 and 10.99. Less than 4% (less than 4% of the original tissue weight)of caustic solution can be introduced.

With or without the saponification step, this phase provides a completesterilization of all elements of the material; assuring log 6 reductioncriteria of infectious matter. The liquid is then available for twooptional discharge modes. Existing technology typically injects acaustic portion into the initial load and then uses the dehydration onthe digestate (includes animal tissue, additional water and caustic) toremove the water and produce a solidified mass. The difficulty with thisis that the caustic saponifies the fats into soaps. These soaps have ahigh surface tension, which can then create foam or belching during thedehydration phase, carrying solids and raising the Biological OxygenDemand (BOD) level of the reclaimed water. This results in a veryundesirable by-product, which can be difficult to dispose of and cancause mechanical difficulties of blockage in pipes, heat exchangers andother restrictive devices over time.

One embodiment of the process design uses a unique introduction of acaustic to avoid the foaming issue and dehydrates the solids to ahomogeneous solid mass and produces a clear, “lower BOD” reclaimedwater, acceptable for discharge directly to a municipal waste watertreatment facility. This embodiment of the process can raise the productup to 308 degree F. and agitate the product, which can provide sizereduction of the animal tissue and bones into a waterlike mixture ofsuspended solids. The pressure of the vessel can be reduced toapproximately atmospheric pressure to effect a dehydration of themixture and a step of collecting reclaimed water can be accomplished bya water condenser. One embodiment of the system can include systemcontrol logic capable of automatically determining the dehydration endpoint rather than using a form of trial and error methodology. With theaddition of the condenser function, the over all system can be either a“wet” or “dry” discharge system. The condenser can be a direct contactcondenser, an externally cooled condenser or a combination of both toachieve condensing and collection of the reclaimed water.

This embodiment of the process can introduce the caustic at end of thedehydration thereby allowing digestion and saponification to occur atlower levels of water content. The surface tension of the liquid mixtureis greatly increased and attempts to distill water would result incarry-over of fatty acids and other material resulting in elevated BOD.The resultant discharged sludge can be very viscous, homogeneous, andflowable at elevated temperatures and then solidifies upon cooling. Avisual monitoring system can also be utilized to witness the process.

For an embodiment of the method and apparatus having a liquid dischargedesign, the vessel's thermal liquid can be cooled to indirectly cool theinternal liquid. Upon cooling the internal liquid to less than aboutapproximately 140 degrees F., the bottom discharge valve can be openedto discharge the sterile liquid to sewer or other appropriate receiver.The bottom discharge vale can be “flush mounted” such that there is nopipe to flange to valve interface creating a “dead leg” in the pipe areathat is not heated thereby potentially creating an area where the liquidpotentially could not be properly sterilized.

For an embodiment of the method and apparatus having a solid discharge,the vessel can continue the heating process and allow the pressure to bereduced to atmospheric conditions and released saturated vapors can bedirected to a condenser where the water vapors are condensed andcollected. This phase is tissue mass load size dependent and may operatefrom approximately 1 to 7 hours. The water collected may be partiallyrecycled into the next load for re-use thereby improving environmentaloperation; and helping to meet “green” operational criteria. At itscompletion, the internal material is now a fibrous, sludge-like matter.It can be discharged through the bottom discharge valve. The dischargeresidue can be brown in color and can have small portions of fattyliquid, which quickly solidifies into a wax-like product. The fibroussolids, upon cooling, are a rigid, solid mass.

One embodiment of the method and apparatus can utilize a monitoringsystem to visually monitor the operation of the process. The variety ofanimals and their respective variance in water to tissue ratio precludesan accurate mass or volume determination exact enough to determineprocess completion. The visual monitor provides such a method whererepeatable interpretation of residue can be provided.

The details of the invention and various embodiments can be betterunderstood by referring to the figures of the drawing. Referring to FIG.1, a left perspective illustration of an embodiment of a sterilizationsystem is shown. This view illustrates the pressure vessel having theLid 102 in the closed position. The Lid 102 can be sealed and lockedusing the Lid Locking Cylinder 128. If the Lid Locking Cylinder 128 isde-actuated, the Lid Opening Cylinder 105 can be utilized to retract theLid 102 to the open position. The lid as shown in its closed positionand sealed is the operating position of the lid. When the lid is sealedand closed, the vessel can be pressurized. In order to allow internalviewing of the vessel during operation, two monitoring ports 106 areprovided. Cameras or other viewing mechanisms or systems can be mountedto these monitoring ports for viewing and/or recording the interior ofthe chamber when in operation.

Various sensors are utilized to monitor the operational conditions ofthe vessel. The sensors can include Temperature Sensors 108 and 118,which are adapted to monitor the internal temperature of the vessel. APressure Indicator 104 can also be utilized to monitor the interiorpressure of the vessel. The various sensors can be communicably linkedto a control system having a controller whereby temperature and pressuredata and other sensor data can be transmitted to the control system,which can in turn control the inputs to the sterilization system to varythe operational profile based on the data provided by the sensors. Forexample, the controller can control a heating system for regulating thetemperature of the thermal liquid and can control the input of thermalliquid into the heating/cooling jacket in order to control thetemperature within the vessel and thereby control the temperature of thematerial.

When the system is not in operation the Lid Opening Cylinder 105 can beutilized to retract the Lid Hinge to thereby open the Lid 102. TheHeating/Cooling Jacket 110 can be controlled by a controller system toheat or cool the interior of the vessel. The interior of the vessel canbe heated or cooled to the desired temperature during the operationalprofile and once the operational profile is completed, any sterilizedmaterial can be discharged through a Discharge Valve 112. The controllercan control the Discharge Valve Actuator to open the discharge valve todispense of the sterilized material within the vessel.

During operation an Agitator Arm and Agitator Blade can be utilized toreduce the size of any waste material. The Actuator or Agitator can bepowered by a Drive Motor and Gear Reducer 122 and 120 respectively. Thecontrol system can cause thermal liquid to be input through the ThermalLiquid Inlet Port 116 at a desired temperature to cause theHeating/Cooling Jacket to arrive at the desired temperature for thepurpose of controlling the temperature of the interior of the vessel.Water and caustic material can be added to the interior of the vesselutilizing the Combination Water and Caustic Inlet Port 132. Therefore,water and caustic material can be added to any infectious waste insertedwithin the vessel and the Heating/Cooling Jacket can be utilized tocontrol the temperature of the interior of the vessel to thereby controlthe temperature of the infectious waste material and water containedtherein.

The control system can monitor the interior pressure and temperature ofthe vessel and thereby control the temperature profile utilizing theThermal Liquid Input Port 116. During operation the Drive Motor 122 canbe powered to drive the agitator to reduce the size of any infectiouswaste material. The system is also shown having a Vapor Outlet 130,which allows vapor to escape from the vessel while maintaining thedesire pressure. The sterilization system also has a Safety Vent Pipe toallow pressure to be released from the interior of the vessel. AlsoOperating Vent Outlet 135 and Safety Vent Outlet 133 are provided. Thethermal liquid can be discharged at the end of an operational cycle fromthe Heating/Cooling Jacket utilizing the Thermal Liquid Output Port 134.The sterilization system can be properly mounted using the MountingBrackets 124.

Referring to FIG. 2, a another left perspective illustration of thesterilization system is shown. This illustration shows the Lid 102 inthe open position. The Pressure Vessel Entry 206 is shown through whichinfectious waste material can be inserted into the pressure vessel. Thisinterior view also reveals two Ports 202 and 204. The ports are for highlevel control and safety vent outlet respectively. With the lid in theopen position and the agitator oriented in a horizontal position, thematerial to be sterilized can be loaded.

Referring to FIG. 3, a right perspective illustration of thesterilization system is shown. This view again shows the Lid in the openposition revealing the interior of the pressure vessel. This leftperspective view reveals a Bio-Test port 305 through which biologicalsamples (biological spore strips) can be inserted to validatesterilization efficacy. An Decontamination Product valve 302 is alsoshown. Various other control and sensing devices including pressuretransmitter 306 and High-Level Control are shown. Various Ports, theVapor Outlet 310 and water and caustic inlet 312 are also shown.

Referring to FIG. 4, a front view of the sterilization system is shown.This front view again shows the sterilization system with the Lid 102 inthe closed position. Valve actuators 402, 308 and 404 are shown. TheViewing Ports 106 are also shown. The Lid Locking Cylinder 128 can becontrolled by the control system to be actuated to seal the lid. A lidsensor can be utilized to monitor the seal and if the seal is disrupteda signal can be sent to the control system which can reestablish theseal or shut down the system as appropriate.

Referring to FIG. 5, a right side illustration of the sterilizationsystem is shown. The right side view again reveals the variouscomponents including the Temperature Sensors 108 and 118. Another viewof the Lid Opening Cylinder 105 is also shown. The Cylinder 105 is shownin the extended position such that the Lid Hinges are positioned toclose the lid in the sealed position.

Referring to FIG. 6, a left side illustration of the sterilizationsystem is shown. This view again reveals the Drive Motor 122 and theGear Reducer 120. During operation the control system can control theDrive Motor 122 to drive the Agitator Arm and Agitator Blades at variousand varying speeds to affect size reduction of any infectious wastesolids inserted within the vessel.

Referring to FIG. 7, a rear illustration of the sterilization system isshown. The rear view again reveals the Lid Opening Cylinder 105 shown inthe extended position to thereby close the Lid. The Thermal Liquid InputPort 116 is also shown which can be utilized to input thermal liquidinto the Heating/Cooling Jacket to thereby control the temperature ofthe vessel.

Referring to FIG. 8, a sectional view of the sterilization system isshown. This sectional view reveals the interior of the vessel. Again thePressure Vessel Entry 206 is shown through which infectious wastematerial can be inserted. This view also reveals one embodiment of anAgitator Arm and Agitator Blade 810 and 812 respectively. An end of anagitator arm can be powered by the Drive Motor 122 and the Gear Reducer120. The Drive Motor can be controlled to vary the speed and torque ofthe agitator to affect size reduction of any infectious waste material.The Gear Reducer can drive the Drive Shaft 816, which is sealed by theDrive Transfer Seal Assembly 802. The agitator can be mounted by ArmMounts 804 and 806. The opposing side of the Agitator Arm can be mountedon the Mounting Ring 808, which allows rotation of the agitator asneeded. Agitator Blade 812 as shown can be designed to be in a fixedposition and/or can be designed to vary its position by rotating aboutan axis, which is perpendicularly oriented with respect to the agitatorarm.

Referring to FIG. 9, an illustration of the vessel chamber is shown.This view reveals the interior of the Pressure Vessel Lower Chamber 814.The design of the Agitator Arm is such that the center pathway of thePressure Vessel Entry is not obstructed by the agitator or by any of itcomponents when it is positioned in a horizontal orientation. Thereforeinfectious waste material can be inserted within the chamber withoutattempting to navigate about a center agitator. The discharge port 904is also shown at the bottom of the vessel chamber.

Referring to FIG. 10, a graphical illustration of one embodiment of anoperational profile is shown. This graphical illustration is anillustration of one embodiment of an operational profile for treatingfive-hundred pounds of tissue mass and added water.

The various embodiments of the method and apparatus for sterilizinginfectious waste and examples shown above illustrate a novel method andapparatus that provides a less expensive and a more simplified approachto sterilizing and disposing of infectious material that is clearlyneeded in the industry, that is safe and that is more environmentallyfriendly and less expensive than existing sterilization methods andtheir subsequent disposal. A user of the present invention may chooseany of the above embodiments, or an equivalent thereof, depending uponthe desired application. In this regard, it is recognized that variousforms of the subject sterilization method and apparatus could beutilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of thepresent invention are not limited by the particular details of theexamples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that othermodifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur tothose skilled in the art. It is accordingly intended that the claimsshall cover all such modifications and applications that do not departfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Other aspects, objects and advantages of the present invention can beobtained from a study of the drawings, the disclosure and the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for sterilizing infectious wastecomprising: a pressure vessel having a vessel interior chamber and apowered mechanical agitator adapted to size reduce material within thevessel interior chamber; a pH neutral water source input in fluidcommunication with the vessel interior chamber; an external heat sourcesufficiently powered to heat the vessel interior chamber of a pH neutralwater combination of tissue and other material to a temperature range of250 to 308 degrees F.; a pressure control sufficiently designed toestablish a pressure in the vessel interior chamber in a pressure rangeof 0 to 60 psig; said pressure vessel adapted to maintain thetemperature of and pressure in the vessel interior chamber for a periodin the range 0 to 4 hours to raise the actual temperature of the pHneutral water combination of tissue and other material, and maintainingthe pH neutral water combination of tissue and other material at a pH ofapproximately 7; and a discharge port in fluid communication with thevessel interior chamber.
 2. The apparatus for sterilizing of infectiouswaste as recited in claim 1, where said mechanical agitator is anarcuate shaped member having opposing first and second ends attached toaxially aligned rotatable first and second axles respectively aboutwhich the arcuate shaped member rotates.
 3. The apparatus forsterilizing of infectious waste as recited in claim 2, where saidmechanical agitator is a semi-circular or circular shaped member.
 4. Theapparatus for sterilizing of infectious waste as recited in claim 2,where said mechanical agitator is a u-shaped, hemispherical orcircular-shaped member.
 5. The apparatus for sterilizing of infectiouswaste as recited in claim 4, where one of said first or second axles ispowered for rotation.
 6. The apparatus for sterilizing as recited inclaim 4, where said pressure control is adapted to reduce the pressureof the pressure vessel to approximately atmospheric pressure to effect adehydration of the mixture, and said pressure vessel further having acondenser adapted to condense and collect the reclaimed water.
 7. Theapparatus for sterilizing as recited in claim 4, wherein the agitatoradapted to size reduce bone and tissue and is sufficiently powered toeffect reduction to produce bone chards less than about 1.5 inches indiameter and tissue fibers of diameters less than about 0.015 inches indiameter.
 8. The apparatus for sterilizing as recited in claim 4,further comprising: an indirect cooling source adapted to cool theinternal liquid to less than about 140 degrees F.
 9. The apparatus forsterilizing as recited in claim 4, further comprising: recycling pathadapted to recycle at least a portion of reclaimed water into the nextload for re-use.
 10. The apparatus for sterilizing as recited in claim4, further comprising: a visual monitoring system.
 11. The apparatus forsterilizing as recited in claim 4, further comprising: a validationchamber and said validation chamber's mounting fixture.
 12. Theapparatus for sterilizing as recited in claim 4, further comprising: acaustic input portal.
 13. The apparatus for sterilizing as recited inclaim 4, further comprising: a waste water exit portal.